1967 Chevy Nova Wagons - Wagons Ho

Mark Johnson got involved with cars through his neighbor, a backyard mechanic who also happened to work in a salvage yard. Mark's first loves were Fords-Rancheros and Falcons-and he went through several of each. As with many car crafters, however, marriage and family diverted Mark's attention from the automotive hobby for a number of years. When the urge returned, Mark dabbled for a while with a '65 El Camino project, but it demanded too much time, money, and effort. The day he sold it, he dutifully took the proceeds to the bank on his way to his daughter's soccer game. On the return trip, however, he saw a '67 Chevy Nova station wagon parked at the side of the road with the hood up. Mark stopped to help, chatted with the owners, made an offer on the car, went back to the bank to retrieve the El Camino cash, and headed for home with the Nova. His wife was not pleased, but he has now built the wagon into the family cruiser that he'd been hoping for.

2/12

Bob Santana met Mark at a car show in his hometown of La Verne, California. Bob had been into anything with wheels since he was a kindergartner, growing up with a father who owned and worked on a '49 Merc. Bob's first automotive foray involved a '66 Volkswagen, which he sold after high school to purchase a '69 Z/28 Camaro. His eclectic history also included Porsches, vans, and more VWs, but he was driving a '67 Nova Sport Coupe when he met Mark at a La Verne show-and that may have planted the station-wagon seed. After losing the coupe to a rear-end collision and becoming dispirited, he abandoned cars for a while. As with Mark, though, the urge returned. Bob decided he wanted a station wagon, so he went to the famed automotive swap meet in Pomona, California. After spending the day searching and almost making a deal on a '66 Chevelle wagon, he gave up and went back to his daily driver VW. There, parked next to it, was a '67 Nova wagon, and the die was cast.

3/12

While both cars were roadworthy when Mark and Bob acquired them, each needed work.

In the years since they met, the two men have become close friends, talking frequently, digging up sources for esoteric parts for each other, and eventually helping to develop an informal network of Nova station wagon devotees. (Over the next few months, we'll shine the light on a few more of these cars.) Mark tends to visit more car shows, has gone on the Hot Rod Power TourTM twice, and planned to accompany the Car Craft Anti Tour this year, but Bob joins him whenever possible at local meets.

It's good to have buddies-especially those who share rare tastes.

7/12

Tech NotesWhat: '67 Chevrolet Nova Wagon

Owner: Mark Johnson, for 30 years a paper-hauling forklift operator at Weyerhaeuser

Hometown: Lakewood, California, next door to Long Beach

Engine: Mark tried to blow up the original six-cylinder, but it withstood his best efforts. He eventually swapped in the current 5.7L TPI V-8 from a '92 Z28 Camaro. It's cooled through a Be Cool radiator with dual SPAL fans, and it carries a Vintage Air A/C system, all of which were installed by Mac's Radiator Service in Bellflower, California. The car runs at 180 degrees consistently, even with the air on-and it gets 26 mpg!

Induction: Mark polished the runners and the body of the stock L98 350 tuned-port-injection system. Then he polished everything else that he thought might benefit from a buffing.

8/12

Exhaust: A set of Hooker Super Comp headers is mated through 21/2-inch tubing to Flowmaster mufflers. The setup sounds ballsy, but it doesn't overpower the stereo.

Power: The L98 engine was advertised at 245 bhp and 345 lb-ft of torque by Chevrolet. It was subsequently replaced in Corvettes and Camaros by the venerable LT1.

Drivetrain: The 700-R4 tranny came with the 350 out of the Camaro. It's been upgraded with a mild shift kit that's just enough to provide a hard tire chirp on throttle-up into Second. The driveshaft was shortened to fit the new engine/trans combo and turns 3.08 gears in the stock rearend.

Suspension: The chassis is firmed with Alston subframe connectors. The front coils and rear leaves are from Vehicle Spring & Forge and are controlled by KYB gas shocks at the front and KYB coilovers at the rear. Hellwig antisway bars are fitted to both ends, and the wagon's stance comes from the combination of Classic Performance Products' 2-inch-drop front spindles and 2-inch-drop rear blocks.

9/12

Brakes: Classic Performance Products supplied the brake components, which include power discs at the front and drums at the rear.

Body: The paint is a factory Emerald Turquoise Green, but the painter mixed a little metallic into it for a brighter sheen. And while most modern car crafters seem to want perfectly clean lines, Mark retained the factory roof rack due to its rarity and the coolness factor. Just to be different, he also molded in a gas-filler door scavenged from a junkyard Mazda.

Interior: The interior was crafted by Armando's Custom Upholstery in San Jacinto, California. It's a full leather-and-tweed treatment that included reshaping the seats, creating a fold-down armrest and center console, and fashioning upholstered flames in the door panels and headliner, as well as a flamed Chevy Bow Tie in the front seatback. Mark built the tonneau that covers the rear cargo area and had its mirror-smooth surface painted in flames as well. The tonneau covers a Kenwood and JBL stereo system that Mark designed to provide stout overall sound rather than just a thumping base.

10/12

Tech NotesWhat: '67 Chevrolet Nova wagon

Owner: Bob Santana, a heavy-equipment operator for Arcadia Water Company

Hometown: La Verne, California, nestled against the base of the San Gabriel Mountains

Engine: The 350 V-8 was originally a fuel-injected motor that was pulled from a wrecked Chevy. Bob bought the car from Enrique Cruz of A&A Auto Body in Santa Ana, California, who had swapped in the 350 after rebuilding it. Cruz retained all of the stock innards but polished many of the exterior pieces as the small-block went together.

11/12

Induction: The engine was originally fuel injected, but Cruz went traditional when he rebuilt the V-8. The new system features a polished-aluminum intake and an auto-choke, 600-cfm, four-barrel carburetor. Both are Edelbrock products.

Exhaust: The headers have been coated with ceramic and feed 1 1/2-inch tubing to dual, turbo-style mufflers.

Drivetrain: The 700-R4 overdrive automatic combined with the swapped-in V-8 necessitated a shortened driveshaft that turns 3.36:1 gears in the open differential. The tranny was upgraded with a mild shift kit, and the original trans crossmember was replaced.

Suspension: A set of 1 1/2-inch front lowering springs (which take two coils out of the stock wraps) works with rear 2-inch-drop blocks and the stock monoleaves to set the wagon's slightly raked stance. The front shocks are Doetsch, and Monroes control the rear. Bob retained the stock front sway bar, and all of the frontend bushings were replaced.

12/12

Wheels/tires: Bob likes the classic look of the American Racing vintage Torq-Thrust D wheels, which were polished by Mag Masters in Santa Ana, California. All four were originally 15x7s, but Bob had the front pair narrowed by Eric Vaughn of Vaughn Machine Works in Monrovia, California, to 5 1/2 inches, and they carry All Climate 195/65R15 tires. The unmodified rears are clad in 225/70R15 BFGoodrich T/A Radials, and the stock drum brakes still reside at all four corners.

Body: Bob is amazed at how straight the Nova is. When he bought the car, Cruz told him that it originally came from New Mexico with minimal rust. Bob refurbished the front grille, striping and repainting all of the inserts. The original white body received a new coat of PPG Silver Blue Metallic, and Cruz striped and polished all the body moldings. Bob obtained many of the moldings and small parts at Modern Performance Classics Nova in Orange, California.

Interior: The cabin of the wagon looks very much as it might have when the car was new more than three decades ago. Bob refinished the factory, two-spoke steering wheel, and the carpet, headliner and seats were redone in showroom fashion by Salvadore Reyes of Reyes Upholstery in Huntington Beach, California. The 400-watt stereo system is made up of Pioneer components, but Bob hopes to upgrade the speaker enclosures in the rear storage area.